A wheelchair user's guide to a worry-free, accessible vacation

Cancun, Mexico

When: February 15-22, 2016

Where: Fiesta Americana Condesa Resort, Cancun

Weather: Sunny, high 20’s, but windy by the beach. I wore sweaters

Getting There

This trip, I decided I wanted a hassle free booking. We decided to use a travel agent to find us a package. Our important factors were: no early flights, direct flight, Air Canada, great food, all inclusive, view of ocean, and of course, accessible. After a lot of back and forth, we decided to mix and match flights to get the Fiesta Americana Condesa Resort. The reviews all had 4.9/5 when it came to food. There is nothing worse than going to a place and having awful food. We took an afternoon flight to Cancun, and it was pleasant. Getting off the plane was pretty easy as well. The only hitch is that the wheelchair was not brought to the door. Language barriers did not help. I did use a really nice Lincoln chair though. It was mesh, had a head rest, and was pushed by the airport personnel for about 10 minutes to the wheelchair.

We then took a taxi from the airport to the resort. It could fit many wheelchairs and people. It was easy to locate, and a smooth, quick 15 minute drive. The company is Best Day Tours. They even have an office right in the resort. Make sure you confirm your return taxi at the resort, as they arrange your departure time for you, which was 8 hours prior to our flight. Not ideal! We were warned that other taxi companies at the airport would try to poach you and lie, so make sure it is Best Day Tours. Our travel agent arranged all this for us. Hassle free!

The Resort

The resort was absolutely beautiful, and on the smaller size. There were a few restaurants (see below), a spa, gym, large pool, beautiful lobby and beach area. The ramps were either built in or portable. There were definitely ramps that were steep and I would not feel comfortable going up or down them as a manual user by myself. But at least they had them! The staff were always so kind, friendly and helpful. We wanted to have a spot to sit in front of the ocean, but it didn’t have a table. Not only did we get one (took a few days), but they would reserve them just for us.

Since the resort was on the smaller side, it was much quieter and relaxing. I didn’t see any night life, but there were resorts next to us that you could most likely go to.

Wifi: there was wifi on the resort, better in certain areas than others. Since my room was close to the lobby, we could actually get a good signal. There usually aren’t internet signals from the rooms.

The Beach: one of my stipulations for the resort was that I wanted to be able to look at the ocean, and not be on the sand. This was perfect. There is a ramp down the beach if you have a beach chair or are able to walk. It can be cold with the wind! If you sat further back under the gazebo, it wasn’t as windy.

The Room(s)

So after planning, planning, and finalizing our trip, we were told that the wheelchair accessible rooms were already booked. I was not going back to square one! Luckily, I have a shower chair, so a tub was no problem. The doors were all a standard width, nice and wide. We got there, only to realize that the bathtub had sliding doors on it. And there was no way I could get my legs in. The spa did not have a usable shower, so we were moved the next day. At the end of the trip, we took a peak at the truly accessible rooms. So here are all three rooms, a choose your own adventure, if you will.

Room One (Bathtub)- main floor overlooking buffet

All the rooms had the same bed area type configuration. The beds were all on wheels and easily movable. They gave us a complimentary roll away bed for my mattress. The sink was in the open bedroom portion. The balcony in this room had a step down, so I could not go on it.

Bathroom: the door and area is not large enough to get the wheelchair in and close the door. I transferred as close to it as possible. The bathtub was also very tall.

Room Two (shower) – Main Floor overlooking buffet

So this was definitely an improvement. The shower still had doors, but could be slid open, and my shower chair placed in it. This was a brand new room, just finished that day. The balcony only had a small (less than 1 inch) lip, so I could go on it.

Room Three (completely accessible) – overlooking pool

Now this is a great accessible room. The bathroom had the sink right in it for added privacy, grab rails, shower chair, and a walk in shower (small lip to keep water in). We will definitely try to get this room next time.

The Food

As I mentioned before, we wanted to ensure we would have delicious food for this holiday, and we were not disappointed. There are restaurants/eating areas on the resort: buffet, Asian, Italian, Steakhouse, cafe area, grill area by pool, pub/sushi by front bar, Mexican, and a taco area by the front lobby. What was great was that only the steakhouse required a reservation. All else was come as you please. Since it was a smaller resort, I didn’t feel as if we had to fight for a table. But we also ate at 5 or 6 PM, and would be the only one in the restaurants.

Italian: So incredibly delicious. We ate here twice. The dessert (only one option) came out on a plank, with a few tasters of each dessert.

Mexican: Pretty good, but would have liked more vegetables. Delicious salsa. Open until 10:30 PM

Steakhouse: can be very busy, as it is a reservation restaurant. Very good steak.

Buffets: On the smaller side of a usual resort buffet, but that is better for me. You get better quality. The lower level (not accessible), has a burrito maker. You can ask a waitstaff to get it for you. Many, many options for breads. All freshly made that day. Desserts at dinner were incredible!

Asian: I didn’t like it, but I don’t like sauces that much (I also have a food allergy, and this just screamed don’t eat it). My friends all liked it though. You could order sushi, veggie bowls, udon etc.

Grill by pool: There was both a hotdog, chicken, fries etc stand, and a grilled seafood stand. The grilled seafood had wonderfully fresh tacos. They had deep fried fish and shrimp with cabbage, and a mayonnaise drizzle.

Secret Chicken stand: Every day, right around lunch time at the pool, there would be a pop up buffet with chicken, rice and veggies. It was first come, first serve until it ran out. You must get this chicken!! Once we discovered the mouth watering chicken, we would be on the lookout for the set up. It goes quick though!

Cafe: Almost like a simplified Starbucks. Yummy tarts!

Our last day
We had a late flight (8:30PM), so we spent the day at the resort. We were able to do a late checkout (3 or 4PM) and keep our luggage at the front desk. There are no accessible bathrooms in the resort, other than the rooms. So it was essential that we kept our room, and they happily obliged. We also ate food all day, and no one stopped us!

My overall thoughts of this trip

It was great. The food, rooms and ocean view were wonderful

Make sure to book the accessible room next time

Loved the accessible taxi

Weather was in high 20’s but windy, so pack long sleeves next time (I did get a sun burn though!)